


Leader to Leader

by JustAndrea



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Existential Crisis, Gen, Heart-to-Heart Talks, Hugging, Interdimensional Crossover, Leonardo is Trying His Best, Light Angst, Post s5 for TMNT and post s2 for Rise, Raph is Best Big Bro, Sparring, character death (mentioned)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27286447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAndrea/pseuds/JustAndrea
Summary: In his eighteen years of life, Leonardo had gotten pretty used to the twists and turns of life. How often things could change (for better or for worse), or how the impossible could become reality. And, considering that he had already met alternate versions of himself and his brothers (twice!), meeting another set from yet another dimension was really no big deal at all.At least, that’s what Leonardo kept telling himself. And yet, he couldn’t stop staring at them. Staring at him.(Two leaders from different dimensions meet. One comes out better for it.)
Relationships: Leonardo & Raphael (TMNT), Leonardo & Splinter (TMNT)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 335





	Leader to Leader

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this is yet another TMNT 2012/RotTMNT crossover. Not to step on anyone's toes for those who are already writing a 12/Rise crossover - especially when there's some pretty good ones out there - but as fun as interdimensional shenanigans are, the most interesting part of crossovers for me are always the interactions and the conversations that can grow from them, and this is one that I REALLY wanted to explore. And, since other fans are already focusing on the whole cast, I thought that I would just focus on R!Raph and 12!Leo in my fic.
> 
> Admittedly I really wanted to write a fic focused on a 12!Raph and R!Mikey interaction/conversation too, buuuuut I had to choose one or the other since atm I really only have time to do just one and, let's face it, I enjoy writing R!Raph the most, lol. So, that's the one I went with, and I hope you all enjoy it! (Hope you enjoy the bit of art I put with it as well, heh)
> 
> Also, yes, R!Raph is still leader. Given the nature of the line and how even some of the Rise writers considered it a joke, until I actually see Leo leading the team in the movie or whatever, I'm just gonna say that was an ending gag and Raph is still the leader. Okay? Okay, good, okay.

In his eighteen years of life, Leonardo had gotten pretty used to the twists and turns of life. How often things could change (for better or for worse), or how the impossible could become reality. And, considering that he had already met alternate versions of himself and his brothers ( _twice!_ ), meeting another set from yet another dimension was really no big deal at all. 

At least, that’s what Leonardo kept telling himself. And yet, he couldn’t stop staring at them. Staring at _him_.

While he was thankful that these turtles hadn’t brought their Shredder or Kraang with them like the other OTHER versions of themselves had a few months ago, the fact that they had no battles to fight or bad guys to track down gave them plenty of time for them (for him) to sit and contemplate just how different they were.

The Mikeys were probably the most similar, and got along almost instantly despite the other Mikey being about five years younger than his counterpart. The stickers on his shell made him seem all the more like a kid, at least as far as Leonardo was concerned. Of course, Michelangelo just saw the stickers as “awesome!” and complimented him on how colorful he was. 

The other Mikey was also incredibly spirited given his so-called “razz-ma-tazz”, as well as very friendly and more than eager to swap stories - and recipes, apparently - with his other self. Once they got going, they were talking about a mile a minute, and given that they could understand each other’s Mikey Mindsets, that just made the conversation flow even more smoothly between them.

The Donnies were next in that line of ‘most to least similar’. While the Other Donnie had extra features (Leonardo understood the shell armor, once its purpose was explained to him. Same with the goggles and the wrist-computer... but _what_ was with the drawn-on eyebrows?), both he and his Donnie still shared much in common. 

Both were obviously scientific tech-wizes, both had a bit of a sarcastic bite to them, and both of them were eager to figure out whatever issue had brought the other turtles there - hence why they chose to go to Donatello’s lab and get to work instead of socialize. Leonardo could sense a bit of tension between them, the younger Donnie’s way of speaking being a bit drier as well as a bit more cocky, but he figured it would be fine as long as they had something to keep their minds and hands busy.

His own counterpart (who had been dubbed “Leon” to keep things from getting too confusing) was… surprising, to say the least. Even more surprising than the Leonardo who would always shout “Turtle Power!” Really, to say that Leon was lax was an understatement. 

He seemed barely concerned with the situation at hand, confident that they’d find a way home eventually and arguing that they didn’t need to stress out about it just yet. Once that was settled, he went to go hang out with the Mikeys, having no interest in conversing with his “super-serious” doppelganger. That comment had made Leonardo scowl a little - just because he was responsible (had to be responsible) didn’t mean he was super serious… and since when was being serious a bad thing anyway?!

And as for the Raphs…

Annoyed, agitated and feeling crowded out due to having to deal with another set of brothers in the lair (as well as, Leonardo assumed, feeling just as uncomfortable around his counterpart as Leonardo was around his own), Raphael took off to meet Casey and April, who had already promised to bring some pizzas by later. 

The younger Mikey had watched Raphael leave, looking a bit concerned as he briefly watched him, but ultimately deciding to let him go for now. Catching this, Leonardo hoped there wouldn’t be too much drama when Mikey did finally confront Raphael.

As for the bigger Raph - the much, MUCH bigger Raph, who could probably rival Slash in terms of both size and strength - he didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, this Raph didn’t seem to mind anything. He just sat on the sides and watched his orange and blue brothers, keeping an eye on them while still occasionally interacting with them when it was requested. 

He’d chuckle at their antics, or add details to a story Mikey or Leon was telling. He even cooed over Ice Cream Kitty when Michelangelo brought her out. Granted he was scratched and hissed at by her - whether that was because he just was a Raph or because his size and teeth were so intimidating, Leonardo wasn’t sure - but Raph took it is stride, simply cleaning the ice cream off and giving the mutant-feline some space despite his clear disappointment.

At some point in-between exploring their kitchen and digging into some of their old VHS tape collection, Mikey had climbed onto Raph’s shell, settling on there like it was second nature. Apparently it was, given that Raph didn’t even look up at this. Michelangelo, however, HAD noticed - and took it upon himself to climb up on Raph’s shell as well. 

“Ha, so tall,” Michelangelo smiled as he leaned on the snapper’s free shoulder, “and wayyyy comfier than I thought it’d be.”

Raph smirked a bit at him, and Leonardo held in a sigh. He had been so sure that Raph was going to chuck him into their lair’s pool, making it clear that only his Mikey could get away with perching on him. But instead, Raph just said, “Heh, if you that’s impressive, check this out!”

Getting a hold on Michelangelo, he lifted him up - and with only one hand! Of course, both Mikeys saw this as an opportunity for some fun, and Raph was more than happy to give it to them. He’d let them both crawl around on him as if he was a giant playground set, and even tossed them up a few times using a move he and his Mikey had dubbed “Brother Ball”, which Michelangelo had an absolute blast with.

While Leon chuckled at the scene and tried to egg Raph into trying bigger tricks (Leonardo stopped him from trying to lift the couch, despite all of their insistence that he totally could), Leonardo could only stare in disbelief. Not at the show of strength, something that would be obvious with a turtle of his size, but at just how calm Raph was being! He wasn’t annoyed at all - if anything, Raph was having fun too.

Occasionally Raph would flinch a little or scowl and remind one of the Mikeys not to yell in his ear or for the two of them to talk one at a time instead of at the same time, and every once in a while he’d have to (gently) move them off if they were accidentally hitting or standing on a sensitive spot, but other than that… Leonardo just couldn’t believe it.

But of course, that wasn’t the only surprise of the night.

“I can’t believe you guys have never played Skate Ball before!” Leon exclaimed, “That’s like, one of our favorite games! Right up there with Capture the Bandana!”

“Yeah! It’s so much fun!” Mikey grinned before smirking, “Especially when you’re the all-time champ.”

“That was only a couple times-!” “Uhh I think you mean three times?” Leon growled at his orange brother, who just continued to smirk at him.

“Well, I don’t think we have a basketball around here,” Michelangelo said, “but I do have a couple skateboards!”

“Cool,” Leon nodded, “Soooo, if we can just find a basketball and a couple things we can use for hoops-”

“Uh, you guys aren’t playing that game in the lair,” Leonardo spoke up. The last thing they needed were these extra turtles making a mess of things or accidentally breaking something like the TV or their arcade machine with a ball.

“Come on, it’ll be fine!” Leon insisted, “Lighten up!”

Leonardo narrowed his eyes. “It’s still not happening.”

“Why, is your Splinter gonna ground you or something?” Leonardo’s breath hitched a little. In the background, he noticed Michelangelo wince and glance down at the floor. 

“...Look,” Leonardo said as he steadied himself, “you may think it’s ‘fine’, but I’m the leader here, and I say that I don’t want you guys skating and playing basketball-” “Skate Ball.” “-ANY kind of ball in the lair!”

“Yeah well, Raph is my leader, not you,” Leon countered, causing Leonardo to freeze up once again. Raph was his _WHAT?_ “So what HE says goes for me.” He glanced back at the snapper. “What do you say, Raph? You know that Skate Ball’s totally fine, right?”

The Mikeys - _both_ of them, Leonardo noted, much to his frustration - looked at Raph with pleading eyes. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t have any effect on him this time around.

“It’s a totally safe and pretty fun game, yeah. But you gotta remember, this still isn’t our lair,” Raph told them, crossing his arms, “Which means we gotta follow the house rules, alright?”

“Ugh, fiiiiiine…” Leon grumbled, then added as a compromise, “I guess we could just skate somewhere else later.”

“Oh yeah!” Michelangelo perked up, “I could totally show you guys around later! We’ve got friends that I know you guys would love to meet! Hey, you got anyone named Leatherhead or Mondo Gecko in your universe.”

“No, but we do have a friend named Bullhop, and a Frankenfoot!” Mikey grinned, “Oh, and a Todd.” This new topic made for a good conversation, with even Leon dropping his annoyance and getting in on it. But Leonardo could hardly even listen…

Several minutes later, Leonardo was still sitting in silence, staring at the other Raph as he and his brothers excitedly talked about one of their favorite fights against some guy named Meatsweats. (“Haha, gross,” Michelangelo had said when he heard the name.) He tried telling himself that it wasn’t THAT big of a deal given just how different these other turtles were, and yet he still couldn’t move past it. And, as if the questions he had weren’t enough, his father’s words kept echoing in his head:

_“I knew even when you were a small boy that you would one day grow up to be the leader of this team… You are the sensei now. Your brothers need you…”_

It had been Leonardo’s destiny to be leader of his team. He was the only one who could lead his brothers in battle, who could protect them and assure their survival. Only him, no one else. It was a pressure he had grown used to, a pressure he could be guided by. Being a leader was his purpose, his one and only role. 

Even the other Leonardo he had met, with all his goofiness and cheesy catchphrases, was still a leader! Until now, it had seemed like a universal constant: Leonardos lead their teams. But if Leon could apparently care less about being leader - if it really was a role that anyone could take on without it leading to disaster, then…

“...Hey.”

Leonardo gasped, flinching a bit. He had been so deep in his thoughts, he hadn’t even noticed that Raph was over by him now, having noticed his staring. Frowning a bit, the big Raph placed a hand on his shoulder. “You alright?” he asked gently.

Leonardo blinked. “I… I’m fine,” he said, sitting up straight.

“Oh. Okay, just makin’ sure. You were kinda spacin’ out an all…” Raph paused for a moment before continuing. “So uh, in that case, would you wanna go somewhere by ourselves? You know, get to know each other leader to leader?”

Leonardo’s fists clenched ever so slightly before he forced himself to relax once more. “I- yeah, sure, if you want.”

Raph smiled. “Cool,” he nodded. He took a moment to tell Leon and the Mikeys where they were going before Leonardo led him to another room. As they walked, Leonardo concentrated on his breathing.

This wasn’t a big deal, he kept telling himself - even if a part of him felt like everything he ever knew was crumbling around him…

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

“Whoaaaaa…” Raph looked around the dojo in mild amazement. It certainly was fancy! The tree in the middle of the room was a nice touch. He also noticed that their spare weapons were properly placed on the wall or on a rack instead of just in a pile or hidden under their dad’s bed. Made sense, given how stern this Leo seemed. Or hey, maybe he just liked being tidy. Either way- “Nice place you got here.”

“Thanks,” Leonardo replied politely, moving to kneel on the mat. Raph followed his lead, sitting criss-cross. For several seconds, the two of them just sat across from each other, the air between them quickly becoming more awkward.

“...So, uh- quadruplets, right? You and your brothers?” Raph asked, fidgeting with his hands a little.

“I guess,” Leonardo shrugged, “I mean, we don’t know when we were all born but- well, we were all mutated on the same day, and we came from the same pet store bowl, so…”

“Right, right. Pet stores are cool… We were all found by a sheep-man.” Leonardo stared blankly at him, and Raph inwardly cringed. “...I-I mean, I guess if you wanted to get specific, he was a warring warrior scientist-alchemist sheep-man who used to be bad but is now just kinda neutral who thought that turtles would make for the perfect warriors and- ah, yeah. Ugh...” He resisted the urge to facepalm. 

Trying to find the right words to say was hard enough at times, but small talk was the absolute worst! And, as it would seem, trying to start a conversation with an older, sterner, _much_ more serious version of his younger brother was even harder.

“Is there… anything you wanted to actually talk about?” Leonardo questioned, trying to prompt him a little.

Truth be told, Raph had plenty of things he wanted to talk about, and plenty of questions too. Why is your lair so dark, where is your Splinter, why is your Raph so grumpy, what’s with all your scars and also are you okay - and those were only the top 5! But as badly as he wanted to ask them, Raph also didn’t want to overwhelm the other Leonardo or make him feel like he was interrogating him. All he really wanted was just to get to know-

It was then that Raph got an idea. “Hey, you know what always breaks the ice?” he asked, grinning a bit now, “a sparring session!”

“A… sparring session?” Leonardo repeated.

“Yeah!” Raph nodded, “We can get to know each other and learn each other’s fighting styles, all while getting in a good workout at the same time! You like sparring and training and stuff, right?”

“Well, I guess but-” For a moment, Raph thought maybe Leonardo was a bit intimidated by him because of his size and all, but the look on the turtle’s face wasn’t fear or concern. If anything, he was just reluctant - like he thought the spar would end badly or something.

“Come on,” Raph encouraged, “We don’t have to go for too long, just a round or two. And you know, actions do speak louder than words! Raph practically lives by that quote. Plus, it’ll be fun!”

 _‘Fun in general, or fun if you win?’_ Leonardo couldn’t help but think. Still, even with his own Raph’s attitude when it came to losing, Leonardo had never refused a challenge from him. As such, he couldn’t really refuse a challenge from his counterpart either. “Alright,” he said finally. He still needed to train that day, anyway.

Raph grinned again, practically jumping to his feet. He shook his fists a couple times before getting out his sais.

Leonardo smirked a little at his excitement as he took out his katanas. _“Onegai shimasu.”_ His opponent blinked, confused. “...Do your best,” Leonardo translated.

“Oh! Right. Sorry, I only started learning Japanese a few months ago,” Raph said. Usually whenever someone in his family wanted to start a spar, they just did the ‘come at me’ gesture. But hey, when in another universe- “Onega shimesu,” he tried to repeat before rushing forward.

The clanging sound of metal-on-metal echoed through the dojo as the two turtles met each other. Their spar had officially begun!

For what it was worth, they were pretty evenly matched. Since Leonardo was used to fighting enemies who towered over him, Raph’s height didn’t really give him an advantage. The snapper was, however, a lot faster on his feet than Leonardo was expecting, which kept him on his toes. His fighting style, while still very much “smash and bash”, also wasn’t confined to any particular technique or style, at least not one that Leonardo knew. As such, Raph was able to catch him off guard a couple times.

As for Raph, he could definitely see Leonardo’s skills as a fighter. Each move was precise and focused, his opponent almost always managing to think a couple steps ahead. He clearly used strategy more than pure strength just like his own Leo did, which meant Raph had to put his own thinking skills into high gear. He didn’t mind though - if anything, it made the fight more fun!

Each time Leonardo managed to trick him or get a good shot in, Raph would sometimes be stunned, but he would also sort of laugh it off. Not in a way that made the blue-wearing turtle think that he wasn’t taking the fight seriously, but more like the kind of laugh one would do when something truly felt like a thrill. 

Adding onto that, it seemed like no matter how many times Raph took a hit or got knocked down, he would just come back swinging harder than ever! It was a pleasant surprise, to say the least. Of course, that meant Leonardo had to fight even harder too, bringing out nearly every move in his arsenal to try and get his sharp-toothed opponent to stay down.

Swipe, slash, dodge, shove, kick, punch, jab, jump, duck, lean, roll, block, rush, clash-! One move after another, the two of them often needing to switch from offense to defense within a split second. Both of them were sweating now, but neither one dared to try and call it a draw. Not out of pride, but because there was _no way_ they could end a spar that was THIS GOOD on a draw!

Eventually though, Leonardo was able to keep Raph down just long enough to put the tip of his blade an inch above the snapper’s neck. “ _Yame_ ,” he said, a slight smirk on his face.

“Heh, I take it that means ‘match over’?” Raph sighed, wiping his brow off. “Man, that was AWESOME! Good match, buddy. You definitely put your sword where your mouth is.”

His smile grew at that. It was nice sparring with someone who was not only on his skill level, but wasn’t a sore loser about it. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how the phrase goes but, thanks,” Leonardo said. He offered Raph his hand, which Raph took. Once he was sitting up, Leonardo knelt down beside him, subtly trying to catch his breath. “You did really well too.”

“Thanks!” Raph grinned, “Heh, too bad we weren’t sparring in our world. I could’ve used my Aura Clone-Jutsu, or my Power Punch-” he corrected himself, remembering that he used sais now instead of tonfas, “Sorry, Power _Jab_ Jitsu.”

“Sounds like you have some… interesting techniques. I kind of can’t believe that your world is filled with all this magic and mystic stuff, not to mention actual yokai! ...Then again, we have aliens in our world so, maybe it isn’t too far-fetched.”

Raph chuckled. “Yeah, though aliens would still be cool.”

“You may say that, but you’ve never had to fight off a whole invasion.”

“True.” And frankly, he didn’t WANT to fight a whole alien fleet… even if aliens were still cool. Though, speaking of which- “Since we’re not sparring anymore, maybe you could tell me a little more about you guys and this world.”

He saw Leonardo stiffen up again, and Raph winced. “I mean, if you want to. I’m not tryin’ to be nosy or anything. Just, you know, curious about my other little brothers’ lives, you know?”

Despite a mixture of emotions, Leonardo gave a small smile. “Heh, you do remember I’m eighteen, right? Can’t exactly be your ‘little brother’. ...Unless we’re going by size,” he joked.

Raph laughed a little at that as well. “Raph IS the biggest. But nah, you’re still a Leo, and since I’ve kinda got it in my head that all Leos are my little brothers, I’m gonna sort of think of you that way, you know? Not on purpose, just - a big brother mindset, you know?”

Leonardo thought about the way he had looked at the other turtles, putting assumptions on them based on his own brothers. “I guess that makes sense,” he nodded, “Still… there’s kind of a lot to talk about, and- well, not all of it is fun to listen to, or easy to talk about.” 

Raph’s expression shifted into a look of concern (a protective big brother indeed), and Leonardo instantly regretted saying anything. Before he could even ask, Leonardo assured him, “We’re fine. We’re- my brothers are still here, and that’s what matters, right?”

“Right... but-!”

“I just- would rather not talk about it,” Leonardo insisted, raising his voice for just a moment before calming down.

“...Alright,” Raph agreed reluctantly, “Anything you do wanna talk about then? I mean, I kinda brought us in here so we could get to know each other, leader to leader-”

“Why did your Splinter make you leader?”

“...”

Leonardo clenched his fists again. Damn it. Of course he wanted to know, but he still shouldn’t have let it slip out like that-

“Uhh, my dad didn’t make me leader.”

“...” Now it was Leonardo’s turn to be confused. “Well, then who did?”

“Uh, me? I guess?” Raph shrugged, “I was the oldest, which usually meant I was in charge when Pop wasn’t home anyway. Well, until we met April that is, since she’s a year older than me. And I guess when we started thinking of ourselves as the Mad Dogz-”

 _“‘Mad Dogs’?”_ Leonardo repeated, utterly confused.

“Yeah! Great name, right? Anyway, when we became a team, I guess I just fell into the leader role, you know? No one else wanted it, so-”

“Your Leo never asked to be leader? Seriously?”

“Well, he’ll sometimes help out with the plans or convince us to try something, and according to what Mikey tells me, he sorta fills in for me when I’m not around. But asking to be the official leader of the team? Nah, I don’t think he’s interested.”

“That is just…” Actually, Leonardo didn’t know how to finish that sentence. On the one hand, Leon didn’t seem like the responsible type. But on the other hand, if he was already somewhat of a strategist and had leadership skills, then why not apply himself? Better yet, why didn’t his Splinter push him to apply himself just like his-! He stopped himself, feeling as though he was right on the edge of that particular rabbit hole.

“...” Fidgeting a little with his hands again, Raph carefully asked, “Did uh, did your Raph ever try to be leader?”

Regretting this whole conversation now, Leonardo nearly tried to change topics. And yet, as much as the rest of him wanted to pull away, his head and all the building questions within it marched on. “There was this one time, after we argued about how I was leading the team. I told him he could lead, which he accepted, but I guess the pressure ended up being too much for him when a mission didn’t turn out the way he thought.”

“Hmph, I can definitely understand that,” Raph admitted, “So, he never tried again?”

“Well… You know that invasion I mentioned earlier? Well, during it, I… I was really hurt. I actually fell into a coma for a few months.” Raph’s eyes widened, his eyes drifting towards the other turtle’s thick scars - specifically the ones on his neck and leg.

“My Raph sort of took over as leader while I was down, even if we didn’t have any actual missions, while also keeping an eye on me… And even when I woke up, he helped me get my strength back.” Did he ever thank Raphael for doing that? Leonardo couldn’t remember… He sat silently for a moment, thinking back on those days and how hopeless he had felt, not knowing if he’d ever fully recover. He had come so far since then. But even now, there were still days where it would be nearly impossible to block out the aches in his leg.

“...Well, I’m sorry you had to go through something like that. But I’m glad that your Raph looks after his brothers just as much as this Raph does,” he said, pointing a thumb at himself, “And even if he’s not meant to be leader, I’m glad he’s still a good brother.”

“Well, we still have our moments of friction. A LOT of moments, actually. We don’t call him our team’s hot head for nothing. He’s threatened to leave the team at least a dozen times. But…” Leonardo smiled, just a little. “Yeah. When he wants to be, I guess he is a good brother.”

As Raph watched his blue brother’s counterpart, he started to feel a bit uneasy again. Leonardo hadn’t been lying when he said that he and his fam had gone through a lot, and Raph had a feeling that this was just the tip of the iceberg. Then again, maybe that just made it all the more important to keep him talking. “...Seems like bein’ leader is really important to you.”

“Well, yeah,” Leonardo said. That was kind of obvious, wasn’t it? “My team depends on me, and I’m the only one who can lead them. They need me to lead, and it’s what I was meant to do, so...”

Raph furrowed his brow. “That’s a lot of a pressure to put on yourself, don’t you think?” Besides, didn’t he just say that his Raphael could lead if they really needed him to?

Leonardo inwardly sighed. “It doesn't matter that the burden is heavy. It matters that you carry it,” he said, repeating his father’s words exactly, “Just because it’s tough being a leader sometimes doesn’t mean I can just give it up whenever I feel like it.”

“It ain’t ‘giving up’ if you’re just taking a break,” Raph said as he crossed his arms.

“No offense, Raph,” Leonardo scowled back at him, “But you wouldn’t get it. Like I said, we’ve both been through completely different things. And obviously, we have different experiences as leader.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the snapper asked, becoming confused once again.

“Well, you’re just- you’re just so CALM!” Leonardo shot back, making Raph blink. “If it weren’t for the red bandana and the love of fighting, I might not have even known you were a Raph! With how much you and your brothers goof off, I’m sure your universe is a lot less dangerous than ours has been in the past.” He was sure the powerful mystic weapons helped too. “And since you’re not constantly yelling at them like my Raph would be, I’m sure they listen to you a lot more t-!”

“HA! Are you kidding me?!” Raph shouted, cutting Leonardo off, “There have been plenty of times where my brothers don’t listen to me! I mean, yeah I don’t like to yell at ‘em because that’s not gonna help anything, but sometimes I have to because they just. Won’t. LISTEN!”

“Whoa…” Okay, now he seemed more like a Raph. “Like, skipping out on training sessions or goofing off while on patrol?”

“Yeah!” Raph nodded, “Half the time I end up just goin’ out by myself! Or when I try to come up with team bonding stuff, they just think it’s dumb and try to get through it as fast as possible!”

“Ugh, I know how that feels,” Leonardo nodded. Maybe their experiences weren’t so different, after all. “Or they just complain that you’re being ‘bossy’. I wouldn’t have to boss you all around if you’d just listen the first time!”

“Hmph, exactly! Or how about the time they kept eating poisoned pizza puffs, and didn’t even care how much it was messin’ them up-!”

“I’m sorry, poisoned pizza puffs?” Leonardo repeated, gaping in disbelief.

“Yeah! Though, to be fair, I’m pretty sure Meatsweats put somethin’ in them that made ‘em super addicting,” Raph added, “But still, when I tell you not to eat the poison - DON’T EAT THE POISON! Yeesh!”

Despite how… _unbelievably frustrating_ that sounded Leonardo couldn’t help but chuckle. “Okay, okay. I take it back, you _definitely_ know how tiring being a leader can be.”

“Heh, yeah.” Raph sighed. After a moment though, he started to smile again. “But as much as those guys drive me crazy, I still love them, you know? They’re my little brothers, after all. I gotta look out for them, even when they don’t listen. And for what it’s worth… as much as they goof around sometimes, I know I can trust them one hundred percent, ‘cause when the chips are down, I know they’ll always have my shell.”

“...” Leonardo softly smiled back. “Yeah… I feel the same way.” Frustrations aside, family was family - and he knew that even through all the arguments they had with each other, he wouldn’t trade his brothers for anything.

“...And you know, it kinda goes both ways,” Raph continued, “‘Cause I know I’m not always a perfect leader… I’ll make a mistake, or a plan doesn’t work out - but my bros, they have good ideas too. They’ll talk me through stuff, or help me figure things out and see the stuff that I might miss, or even just give me a hand with things. You get what I’m saying?”

“Yeah...” Leonardo replied, his smile disappearing, “and, I know that you’re just trying to help too. But like I said, I can’t just take a break. My team needs me. Making sure they’re ready for anything and leading every mission is my responsibility, and I’m not gonna pass it off onto someone else.”

Raph stared at him, his frown deepening. He knew how Leonardo was feeling, which just made him want to help him out even more. Sure, Leonardo was older, but age didn’t stop the pressures of being a leader and a big brother from weighing on your shoulders. “...Let me talk to your Splinter.”

Leonardo felt his stomach drop a little. He knew he should've expected that question eventually, but that didn't stop it from hurting.

“No offense, but just based on how you guys act, I take it your Splinter is kinda stern too, right?" Raph asked, "Yeah, ours kinda did that too when things started getting really bad... but I’m sure if we just talk to him, he’d totally agree that it’s better to sorta share the load for a little while instead’a trying to carry it all by yourself. And don’t worry, if he’s taking one of his afternoon naps, I’ll totally take the heat for wakin’ him-”

Raph stopped. Leonardo’s head was hanging low now, and Raph’s own heart started to sink. “...Leonardo?”

Silently, the smaller turtle stood, and walked over to the other side of the dojo. Raph followed him, his eyes immediately drawn to the photos sitting on the small shelf. Of course he had noticed them when he walked in, but he hadn’t thought much of them, assuming they were just old family photos. He hadn’t realized it was a shrine.

One photo was of a human family - a man, woman and baby all in traditional Japanese clothing. The other was of four turtles, probably about five or six years old, and a tall brown rat in a kimono who stood behind him. 

Raph swallowed. “...H-How did he…?”

“The Shredder,” Leonardo answered bitterly. Still, he refused to cry, or show any jealousy towards the spikier turtle for still having his father. “He had injected himself with mutagen, and became a true monster… Our father fought with all he had but, it just wasn’t enough… I- I guess the only positive is that, since he fell in battle, at least he was able to die with hono-”

A hand roughly grabbed his arm, and before Leonardo could even try to yank it back, he was pulled into a tight yet gentle hug. He was surprised, obviously, his body stiff as it was held. But as awkward as it might have been… He couldn’t bring himself to try and pull himself away.

After a moment, he heard Raph’s sniffling. “I’m sorry,” Raph said, “I’m so sorry…” He couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose his dad - to have to walk by an empty armchair every day, and know that there was no longer anyone there to welcome his brothers home with hugs and hot soup.

He hugged Leonardo tighter, and the smaller turtle clenched his eyes tightly as he leaned into the hug…

Raph only held him for a few moments more before letting him go, though he didn’t leave him. He couldn’t, not after that. After all, he knew how it felt. “I… We don’t know exactly what you guys have gone through, but we still understand. We lost someone to the Shredder too.”

Leonardo felt his heart clench up. “You have?”

“Yeah, our grandmother. We didn’t know her for very long, but…” Raph wiped his eyes, and Leonardo put a comforting hand on his arm. “...On that day, we had to leave Splinter and Draxum behind too… It was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but ‘as long as there is Hamato, there’s hope’.”

“I’ve… never heard that phrase before,” Leonardo said quietly, “But, I like it.”

Raph smiled a little at that. “Yeah… Still, in that moment, I wasn’t really feeling the hope. It felt like everything was just falling apart… But I also knew I had to keep fighting, because everyone - my brothers, April, Dad, Draxum, Gram-Gram, both New York AND the Hidden City - they were all counting on me, and I couldn’t fail them. I couldn’t let them down. ...Except, it felt like no matter what I tried, that was exactly what I was doing.”

Leonardo winced, squeezing Raph’s shoulder. He knew those fears _very_ well...

“Eventually, I just broke down… I couldn’t take the pressure, or the feeling of failure.” He then gave a teary smile. “Heh, good thing I had my fam there to set me straight. They helped me realize that I hadn’t failed anyone, and that through everything, they still trusted me just as much as I trusted them. Not only that, but saving our family and the world? That wasn’t just on me, I didn’t have to force myself to carry that pressure on my own. Because I _wasn’t_ alone.”

Raph then brought his hand to his chest, right over his heart. Even if they were disconnected from all mystic energy in this universe, he could feel the Hamato essence still burning deep within him. _“Anatawa hitorijanai,_ ” he recited in perfect Japanese, “It means-”

“You are not alone,” Leonardo said.

“Yep,” Raph nodded, “It also means that, if your fam is anything like mine is, then just like how you’re always there for them, they’re always gonna be there for you. Through the good times and the bad, no matter what.”

“Right…” He knew how much his brothers cared about him, and he knew that their father’s spirit was always going to be looking out for them. Still, it was sometimes nice to be reminded. “...You know, I think I get it now.”

“Hm?” Raph tilted his head a bit. “Get what?”

Leonardo didn’t answer. Instead, he just smiled at him and told him, “You’re a pretty great leader, Raph.”

“Aww, heh. Thanks, bud,” Raph smiled back at him before reaching out and rubbing his head, “You’re a pretty great leader too!”

The blue-wearing turtle chuckled at the gesture. “Thanks.” Being the ‘little brother’ despite the age gap was never not going to be weird, but maybe not as bad as he once thought. “And… it was actually really nice talking to you.”

“Yeah, same here. And hey, maybe you could try to have these talks with your brothers too when you need to?” Raph suggested.

“Oh? What happened to ‘actions speak louder than words’?” Leonardo lightly shot back.

“Heh, they still do, but words can still work pretty well too,” Raph chuckled, “And if your Raph really is a ‘hot head’ and is angry all the time, then I’m sure he’s got a ton to get off his chest.”

Leonardo hummed a little at that. Maybe that wasn’t a bad idea… He already knew that Raphael had some issues, and as obnoxious as they could be for the rest of them to deal with, he could admit that he wasn’t always supportive as he could have been either… “Yeah, maybe I’ll give it a shot,” he said quietly, making Raph smile once again.

Though, speaking of younger brothers- _“Hey Raph! Other me!”_ they heard Leon yell from the living room, _“April and Casey are here! ...Also just a head’s up, CJ’s a guy and April’s a redhead? Because apparently this place just looooves being different!”_

“Wait, really?” Curious now, Raph started heading back outside the dojo, but stopped. “Oh, wait.” He went back over to Leonardo and the shrine. “Do you mind if I…?” he asked, gesturing to the photo.

It took a moment for Leonardo to realize what he was asking. “Oh! Yeah, go ahead. That would mean a lot, actually.” Raph nodded at him before bringing his hands together and mumbling the prayer his father had taught them all for their own family shrine back home.

Leonardo did the same, saying a prayer for both his Splinter and Raph’s grandmother - even if he didn’t know who she was, he hoped she was at peace. As for his father, while he wasn’t sure what he would think of these other turtles, a small part of him did wish that he could have met them.

“...So, I know you guys kinda got off on the wrong foot,” Raph started to say as the two of them left the dojo together, “But I really do think you and my Leo would get along.”

Leonardo held back a scoff. “Sorry, but I don’t think we have much in common.” Or ANYTHING in common, probably.

“Oh, so you don’t like comics?”

“...Well, no, I do.”

“Cool! And what about sci-fi stuff? ‘Cause my Leo loves sci-fi!”

Raph turned just in time to see Leonardo’s eyes widen a bit, briefly lighting up like Christmas morning. “...So, sci-fi as in… the old TV show, ‘Space Heroes’?” he slowly asked, “Or its continuation, ‘Space Heroes: The Next Generation’?”

“Oh. Uh, sorry. I don’t think we have that in our world. Or if we do, we’ve never heard of it.” Leonardo tried to hide his disappointment at that. “But we do have Jupiter Jim! All of us love those movies, but Leon loves ‘em the most. A total super fan, he knows practically everything about the JJ-verse and is even able to recite all of the lines by heart!”

Immediately, Leonardo remembered how he used to do that _exact same thing_ , striking a pose in front of their small TV as he monologued alongside Captain Ryan. He nearly groaned at the memory. “Okay, maybe we do have one or two things in common,” he admitted.

“Heh, told ya.”

“Shut up,” he mumbled, nudged Raph, who just lightly nudged him back.

Dinner that night was about as chaotic as expected, but thankfully there wasn’t any major friction or tension between any of them. Even Raphael was being fairly chill, despite sitting in-between the Mikeys. Of course, once Raph mentioned a certain nerdy fact about his blue brother’s counterpart, Leon immediately became interested. 

Whether it was because he needed something a little more fun after such an emotional afternoon, or because he was actually somewhat excited to have someone just as invested in sci-fi adventures as he was, Leonardo agreed to show them a couple of his favorite Space Heroes episodes - much to the rest of his team’s minor annoyance.

However, those couple episodes quickly turned into a whole marathon, during which Leon had eventually managed to convince Leonardo to act out a few scenes with him, something he and his brothers apparently did whenever they watched a film series starring someone called ‘Lou Jitsu’. (And judging by the shocked reactions they had gotten from the other turtles when he told them they had no idea who that was, he was sure it wouldn’t be the last they heard about him.)

...Honestly, as goofy as it might have been it was also some of the most fun Leonardo had had since he was fifteen, and even Raphael’s snide comments about how they “really were the dorkiest people he had ever met” couldn’t bring down his mood.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

In the low neon light of a lab, a portal that has laid dormant for a whole week suddenly activated, its bright blue and purple portal shimmering within the metal frame. One by one, the turtles hopped through, landing safely on their feet - though with all eight of them there, it is a bit crowded.

“Ahh, lab sweet lab,” Donnie sighed.

Donatello gaped at the space around them. “Holy chalupa, this is YOUR LAB?! This- This is incredible! How were you able to get all this material! It looks brand new!” A far cry from the equipment he made out of junk, that’s for sure.

“Oh you know, usual scavenging means that may or may not be illegal,” Donnie casually answered before attempting to distract from any follow-up questions, “Oh hey look, we all made it through safely, hurray for us.”

“Yep! And it’s good to be home!” Mikey grinned, his brother quickly agreeing. “Heh, no kidding.” “You sure said it, Mike.”

“Yes,” a new voice added, “It is about time you four finally got home.”

“DAD!” Four of the turtles rushed over to the tiny rat man, giving him hugs that were immediately returned. The other four stood back, smiling at the scene despite their own bittersweet feelings towards it.

“I am glad you are home, my sons,” Splinter told them, “and, given how long you were all gone, I am also glad that you were eventually able to call.” As calm as he was in that moment, he was sure that both he and April would have worried themselves sick if they had had to wait a whole week to learn what had happened to the boys.

“Heh, well, you can thank other Donnie for that,” Raph said, shooting the other purple turtle a smile, “We might not have been able to call OR make it back home if it weren’t for him.” Donnie nodded at this, agreeing wholeheartedly. It wasn’t always a solution, but in this instance at least, two Donatellos had been better than one.

Donatello sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as his brothers all gave him a proud look as well, with Raphael even wrapping an arm around him. “I just had a little more experience with traveling between alternate dimensions, is all,” he told them, as if it were the most normal thing ever. (Well, for them at least, maybe it was.)

“Um, Sens- Master Splinter?” Leonardo spoke up, a bit hesitant, “Are you sure you don’t mind us staying here for a few days?” After the surprising amount of bonding they had done with their counterparts, of course he wanted to see a bit of their world too, but-

“Hey, as long as you all remember to pick up after yourselves, it is fine by me,” Splinter smiled. Leonardo’s own expression became a bit more shaky, but he smiled back nonetheless.

“Well come on then!” Leon shouted suddenly, “We’ve gotta show you guys around!”

“Oh yeah!” Mikey agreed, grinning, “You’re gonna love our arcade!”

“You guys have an arcade?!” Michelangelo exclaimed. He rushed out of the lab. _“And a skate ramp?! This place is AMAZING!”_

As the others followed, Raph noticed Leonardo drifting a little behind. When he glanced back at him, their eyes met - and suddenly he understood. So, Raph just gave him an encouraging nod and kept walking. Soon enough, it was just Leonardo and Splinter left in the lab.

“...Hello, other Blue,” Splinter greeted simply.

“I…” Leonardo tried to speak, but as much as he wanted them to, words just refused to come. Falling back on old habits, he bowed to the short rat-man. So different from his own in multiple ways, yet still the same in others. “It is… it’s great to meet you, S- Master Splinter. I hope you’re in good health. And, and thank you again for your hospitality.”

Splinter didn’t reply, and Leonardo winced at himself. Maybe this was a mistake… He began to rise, when suddenly he felt a gentle, clawed hand cup his face. He lifted his head up, and saw the alternate version of his father staring back at him.

“You look tired, Leonardo,” he told him.

A lump formed in Leonardo’s throat, and though he managed to swallow, a single tear managed to escape - one that Splinter easily wiped away with his thumb. “Heh, yeah,” he eventually managed to answer, “Maybe a little…”

“Well, I was just about to get some tea and cakes and settle in for a bit,” Splinter said with a gentle smile, “Would you like to join me?”

“...Yes please,” Leonardo nodded, only sniffling a little now, “Thank you, Master Splinter.”

While the lair still felt a bit strange and unfamiliar, Leonardo couldn’t really deny the warmth and comfort he felt from the many lights and painted features in the main atrium. Being able to hear the voices and laughter from his brothers (and his other brothers) from the other room just made it feel all the more like home.

With a strong smile now back on his face, he followed Splinter to the TV room, more than willing to take a break from being a leader at least for a little while, knowing fully well that people he trusted more than anyone could keep things under control in his absence.

Because after all, even leaders needed a break sometimes.

**THE END**


End file.
